To spank or not to spank is one of the most debated topics among parents. Every family, mental health expert, and pediatrician has their own feelings about it.

Over the years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has refrained from taking a hard stance on it, opting to make gentle suggestions against spanking. However, in a new statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, the AAP decided to emphasize its stance against corporal punishment and other forms of verbal punishment, including spanking, hitting, slapping, threatening, insulting, humiliating, and shaming. According to the AAP, these methods aren't only ineffective as behavioral modification tools, but they can also be mentally damaging to children.

“Aversive disciplinary strategies, including all forms of corporal punishment and yelling at or shaming children, are minimally effective in the short-term and not effective in the long-term,” the statement reads. “With new evidence, researchers link corporal punishment to an increased risk of negative behavioral, cognitive, psychosocial, and emotional outcomes for children.”

According to Robert Sege, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who helped write the guidelines, spanking absolutely does nothing for disciplining your kids. "Within a few minutes, children are often back to their original behavior. It certainly doesn’t teach children self-regulation," he told NBC News.

In their statement, the AAP also offers alternative forms of effective discipline, and they encourage parents to discuss options with their pediatrician. For instance, for children younger than one, "the best thing to do is just pick them up and move them somewhere else, distract them, change the subject—and that's usually all they need and they can handle it," Dr. Sege said. "Your average 6-month-old child doesn't have the ability to learn the rules. They will eventually," he adds. For older children—toddler or preschool age—they recommend time-outs and using rewards for good behavior. Try paying less attention to them when they are exhibiting bad behavior.

"Techniques such as time-out and other effective forms of punishment, the goal is to teach the child to regulate herself, so that she will have the ability to control and manage her own behavior. And that’s what it really is all about," Dr. Sege continued.

Just how many people are spanking their children? The AAP cites a 2004 survey showing that approximately two-thirds of parents of young children use some sort physical punishment.

While the decision on how to parent and discipline your children is ultimately up to you, you might want to use these new suggestions and the accompanying data to modify your parenting approach.

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